Remote Senior AI/ML Engineering Leader - Pharmacy

UnitedHealth Group; Eden Prairie (MN); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group in Eden Prairie, MN is seeking a Senior Manager of AI/ML Engineering on the Optum Rx technology team to lead enterprise-scale AI solutions across pharmacy platforms.

You will collaborate with product management, software engineering, data science, and executives to solve healthcare challenges, drive operational excellence, and deliver scalable AI capabilities. Remote work allowed nationwide with in-office four days a week for certain locations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience in lieu of a degree.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience.
• 5+ years of experience managing engineering teams, engineering managers, or technical leaders.
• 5+ years of experience delivering enterprise-scale AI, ML, Data, or Cloud platforms.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI, LLMs, NLP, and enterprise AI architecture.
• 3+ years of experience with Agentic AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI orchestration, and intelligent automation.
• 3+ years of hands-on AI/ML engineering experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage engineering teams, managers, and technical leaders in the design, development, deployment, and operation of enterprise-scale AI and ML solutions.
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex healthcare and pharmacy business challenges, placing emphasis on the responsible use of AI.
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools and modern frameworks to streamline engineering workflows, automate core tasks, and drive continuous operational improvement.
• Drive AI/ML adoption across the organization, accelerating the development of Generative AI, LLMs, NLP, predictive analytics, and Agentic AI capabilities.
• Partner with product management, software engineering, and business leaders to align technical strategy with business objectives and enterprise engineering best practices.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and AI trends to inform solution design, scalable architecture, and strategic technology innovation.
• Oversee AI governance, model lifecycle management (MLOps), system security, and operational excellence for high-availability pharmacy platforms.
• Mentor, coach, and develop engineering talent on modern AI/ML frameworks, cloud platforms, and responsible AI practices.

Skills

Team leadership

AI/ML engineering

Generative AI

LLMs

NLP

MLOps

Python

Cloud architectures

Enterprise software

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

AWS Bedrock

SageMaker

Lambda

ECS/EKS

OpenSearch

S3

Job description

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a Senior Manager of AI/ML Engineering on the Optum Rx technology team in Eden Prairie, MN, you will lead engineering teams, technical leaders, and architectural strategy in designing, building, and deploying enterprise-scale AI-powered solutions, machine learning platforms, and automation capabilities across our pharmacy systems. In this leadership role, you will partner closely with product management, software engineering, data science, and business executives to solve complex healthcare challenges, drive operational excellence, and deliver scalable, secure AI solutions that transform pharmacy benefit management and prescription fulfillment operations.

You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges. For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage engineering teams, managers, and technical leaders in the design, development, deployment, and operation of enterprise-scale AI and ML solutions
• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered solutions to address complex healthcare and pharmacy business challenges, placing emphasis on the responsible use of AI
• Use enterprise-approved AI tools and modern frameworks to streamline engineering workflows, automate core tasks, and drive continuous operational improvement
• Drive AI/ML adoption across the organization, accelerating the development of Generative AI, LLMs, NLP, predictive analytics, and Agentic AI capabilities
• Partner with product management, software engineering, and business leaders to align technical strategy with business objectives and enterprise engineering best practices
• Evaluate emerging technologies and AI trends to inform solution design, scalable architecture, and strategic technology innovation
• Oversee AI governance, model lifecycle management (MLOps), system security, and operational excellence for high-availability pharmacy platforms
• Mentor, coach, and develop engineering talent on modern AI/ML frameworks, cloud platforms, and responsible AI practices

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years of equivalent software engineering experience in lieu of a degree
• 12+ years of software engineering experience
• 5+ years of experience managing engineering teams, engineering managers, or technical leaders
• 5+ years of experience delivering enterprise-scale AI, ML, Data, or Cloud platforms
• 4+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI, LLMs, NLP, and enterprise AI architecture
• 3+ years of experience with Agentic AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI orchestration, and intelligent automation
• 3+ years of hands-on AI/ML engineering experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related technical field
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud-native services including Bedrock, SageMaker, Lambda, ECS/EKS, OpenSearch, and S3
• Proven experience leading AI governance, model lifecycle management (MLOps), operationalization, and production support processes
• Solid Python development background and expertise in enterprise-scale AI platform architecture
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-million-dollar AI transformation programs
• Domain exposure to healthcare, pharmacy operations, clinical programs, utilization management, or regulated industries
• Solid executive communication, strategic planning, stakeholder management, and organizational leadership skills

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $148,900 - $255,300 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Application Deadline:This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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